The U.S. will not charge any ad valorem tariff on certain speciality drugs and associated ingredients used for treatment of rare medical conditions imported from India and 19 other countries.

An ad valorem tariff is a set percentage of the monetary value of the goods to be taxed, according to the World Customs Organisation.

The U.S. Commerce Department published the list of countries in the Federal Register as it prepares to impose a 100% tariff on certain patented pharmaceutical imports and their associated ingredients from September 29.

On April 2, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation to impose tariffs on imports of patented pharmaceuticals, biologics, and associated ingredients into the U.S. as part of efforts to encourage domestic production.

Eligible products for the zero per cent tariff rate include all drugs designated for rare diseases, infertility treatments, cell therapies, gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and animal pharmaceuticals. Components of these drugs are also subject to a zero per cent tariff rate.

Besides India, the other countries in the zero tariff rate category are Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, North Macedonia, South Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Taiwan, Thailand, Britain and Vietnam.

The notice said qualifying products from these jurisdictions could receive a zero per cent tariff because they have a current or forthcoming trade and security framework agreement with the U.S.

The exemptions are part of the implementation of Trump’s April proclamation adjusting imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.

The proclamation imposed a 100% tariff on specified patented pharmaceuticals and ingredients.

It took effect on July 31 for companies named in one annex and will apply to other covered companies from September 29.

Generic pharmaceutical products and their associated ingredients are not subject to the Section 232 pharmaceutical tariffs, according to the Commerce Department notice.

The notice also makes several technical corrections to the original proclamation, including amending the definition of “generic pharmaceutical articles” to specifically include unpatented animal health products.

It also clarifies that the definition of “pharmaceutical articles” only encompasses finished pharmaceutical products, their active pharmaceutical ingredients, and the key starting materials of such ingredients.

The U.S. will not charge any ad valorem tariff on certain speciality drugs and associated ingredients used for treatment of rare medical conditions imported from India and 19 other countries.

An ad valorem tariff is a set percentage of the monetary value of the goods to be taxed, according to the World Customs Organisation.

The U.S. Commerce Department published the list of countries in the Federal Register as it prepares to impose a 100% tariff on certain patented pharmaceutical imports and their associated ingredients from September 29.

On April 2, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation to impose tariffs on imports of patented pharmaceuticals, biologics, and associated ingredients into the U.S. as part of efforts to encourage domestic production.

Eligible products for the zero per cent tariff rate include all drugs designated for rare diseases, infertility treatments, cell therapies, gene therapies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and animal pharmaceuticals. Components of these drugs are also subject to a zero per cent tariff rate.

Besides India, the other countries in the zero tariff rate category are Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, North Macedonia, South Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Taiwan, Thailand, Britain and Vietnam.

The notice said qualifying products from these jurisdictions could receive a zero per cent tariff because they have a current or forthcoming trade and security framework agreement with the U.S.

The exemptions are part of the implementation of Trump’s April proclamation adjusting imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.

The proclamation imposed a 100% tariff on specified patented pharmaceuticals and ingredients.

It took effect on July 31 for companies named in one annex and will apply to other covered companies from September 29.

Generic pharmaceutical products and their associated ingredients are not subject to the Section 232 pharmaceutical tariffs, according to the Commerce Department notice.

The notice also makes several technical corrections to the original proclamation, including amending the definition of “generic pharmaceutical articles” to specifically include unpatented animal health products.

It also clarifies that the definition of “pharmaceutical articles” only encompasses finished pharmaceutical products, their active pharmaceutical ingredients, and the key starting materials of such ingredients.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday (September 13, 2026) at the close of a golf tournament in Ireland that he plans to remove a 10% tariff on Irish whiskey.

Mr. Trump said during the trophy ceremony for the Irish Open that he had been asked about the issue by everyone, including Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and even some of the golfers. Irish Open winner Shane Lowry was among them, Trump said.

“Everybody’s been bugging me” to do it, the U.S. President said. “And I said, on behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off” of Irish whiskey.

Irish whiskey currently faces the standard tariff imposed by Mr. Trump on most imports from the European Union, which was reduced from 15% to 10% in July.

Trump announced in April that he was lifting certain tariffs on U.K. whiskey, which includes Scotch and spirits made in Northern Ireland, creating an imbalance with Ireland.

Mr. Trump’s surprise announcement was met with loud whistling and cheers from the crowd of spectators. Details on how soon the tariff would be lifted were not immediately available.

Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, called Mr. Trump’s announcement “another positive step toward reducing barriers to spirits trade” and said everyone would benefit from it during the coming holidays.

“As US hospitality businesses enter the critical holiday season, this action will provide a welcome boost for retailers, restaurants, consumers and the American economy,” Mr. Swonger said.

In May, the Irish Whiskey Association called for the tariffs to be removed, arguing that such a step would help many U.S. companies with Irish products in their portfolios and avoid uncertainty for consumers.

Mr. Trump said on April 30 that he gave the United Kingdom a tariff break on whiskey after King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the White House. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump posted on social media.

The Scotch Whisky Association said July 24 that the zero-tariff policy had come into effect.

At a time when the U.S. looks all set to enact legislation to impose a tariff of up to 100% on India for its Russian oil imports, an analysis of the latest data shows Russia’s share in India’s oil imports rose to an all-time-high of 48% in June 2026. 

Editorial | Oil conundrum: On India’s energy imports from Russia

The U.S. Senate last week passed the bipartisan Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 which seeks to levy tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas, and that were the largest purchasers of these products from Russia over the previous year. India qualifies for tariffs under these criteria.

The Bill still requires to be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives before it becomes law.

An analysis by The Hindu of the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that India significantly lowered its total crude oil imports in June 2026. In terms of volume, June crude oil imports at 18.2 million metric tonnes (MMT) were down 16.5% compared to May 2026, and were 13% lower than in June last year. 

However, elevated crude oil prices this year have meant that the oil import bill, while 22% lower in June 2026 than in May, was still 40% higher than in June of last year. 

Russia’s share at historic high

While India drastically cut down on overall oil imports, its purchases from Russia bucked this trend. That is, India imported 8.7 MMT of Russian oil in June 2026, which was just 1% lower than in May, and 25% higher than in June of last year. 

As a result of this strategy, Russia’s share in India’s crude oil imports jumped to 48% in terms of quantity and 48.6% in terms of the value. Russia’s share has been rising consistently every month since March and the outbreak of the war in West Asia. 

According to the U.S. Bill, the tariffs would apply on a country that was among the five largest importers of crude oil or natural gas from Russia during the 12 months preceding the date of the enactment of the Act, and that then continues to import oil or gas from Russia after 30 days of the enactment of the Act. 

China and India are the top two importers of Russian oil and India’s rising dependence on Russian oil shows it cannot quickly cut back on this source at a time when supplies through the Strait of Hormuz are still constrained.

The premium Russia has charged India for its oil has been steadily declining, the data shows, from $77.7 per tonne in April 2026 to $10.6 per tonne in June. Russia had been providing India a discount until as recently as February 2026.  

India’s sanctions exposure

The Bill also specifies that tariffs could be imposed on countries that have helped Russia evade sanctions. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) told The Hindu that India has specifically taken measures to pre-empt any sanctions exposure.

“It [sanctions exposure] was pre-empted through ship-to-ship transfer operations in international waters via the Red Sea route through Yanbu and Fujairah precisely so that a single choke point, or a single sanctions regime, could not halt India-bound cargo,” MoPNG said in a clarificatory note it had sent The Hindu in late July. 

It is unclear as of now whether India’s actions would entail helping Russia evade sanctions. 

Deepening concentration  

Apart from Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) too saw its share in India’s oil imports rise to historic highs. India sourced 17.5% of its oil imports by volume from the UAE in June 2026 and 18% by value, the highest share for both so far. 

Taken together, this means that Russia and the UAE together accounted for nearly two-thirds of India’s oil imports in June 2026, the highest-ever combined share enjoyed by any two countries. The MoPNG, however, said that such concentration was not a matter of concern given Indian oil marketing companies stand ready to diversify quickly.

“Indian refineries had spent a decade acquiring the logistical flexibility to switch between crude grades and shipping routes the moment disruption struck, which is the definition of a diversification strategy, not its absence,” the note said. 

The United States on Thursday (May 7, 2026) imposed sanctions on Iraq’s deputy Oil Minister over support to Iran, as Washington puts intense pressure on the incoming government to sever links.

The deputy Minister, Ali Maarij al-Bahadli, “abused his government position to divert Iraqi oil in support of the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

“As part of a scheme to evade sanctions, Iranian oil was fraudulently mixed with Iraqi oil and sold for Iran’s benefit,” he said.

The United States has unilateral sanctions against Iranian oil, seeking to punish any country or company that buys it.

Iran, led by Shia clerics, has had close relations with many key players in Shia-majority Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.

The United States has been escalating pressure on the Iraqi state to break off alleged cooperation with armed Iraqi Shia groups linked to Iran.

Tariffs in trouble: On the U.S. Supreme Court and Donald Trump

Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, armed groups have hit U.S. facilities in Iraq more than 600 times before a ceasefire was announced, according to a U.S. official.

The official said that the United States was looking for “concrete actions” from Iraq to cast aside the armed groups before Washington can resume full cooperation.

During the Iran war, the United States notably stopped shipments to Iraq of cash from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which has handled the country’s oil revenue in an arrangement dating from the U.S. invasion.

U.S. President Donald Trump has congratulated and voiced hope for working with Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, who was selected by the ruling coalition after heavy U.S. pressure against the frontrunner.

President Donald Trump said on Monday (January 5, 2026) that the U.S. will be receiving more than $600 billion in tariffs, asserting that America is “far stronger” in national security and financially because of the levies it has imposed on countries around the world.

“We have taken in, and will soon be receiving, more than 600 Billion Dollars in Tariffs, but the Fake News Media refuses to talk about it because they hate and disrespect our Country, and want to interfere with the upcoming Tariff decision, one of the most important ever, of the United States Supreme Court,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He said that the U.S. is financially and from a national security standpoint “far stronger” and more respected than ever before because of tariffs.

The U.S. tariff shock, India’s pharma future

Within months of his second term in the White House, Mr. Trump had last year announced a slew of tariffs on imports from countries around the world, saying the U.S. had been unfairly treated and other nations were charging far higher tariffs on American products.

Mr. Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on India, including 25% for its purchases of Russian oil.

U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance on Sunday (August 24, 2025) said President Donald Trump had applied “aggressive economic leverage” such as “secondary tariffs on India” to force Russia to stop bombing Ukraine.

Mr. Vance was speaking during an exclusive interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” when he also said the step would “make it harder” for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy.

The Trump administration has been highly critical of India for its procurement of discounted crude oil from Russia. Interestingly, Washington has not been criticising China, the largest importer of Russian crude oil.

India has been maintaining that its energy procurement, including from Russia, is driven by national interest and market dynamics.

Mr. Vance remained confident that the U.S. can broker an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine despite potential hang-ups that have emerged since President Trump’s meeting this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC News said.

“We believe we’ve already seen some significant concessions from both sides, just in the last few weeks,” Mr. Vance said in the interview aired on Sunday (August 24, 2025) morning.

If the U.S. is not “imposing new sanctions,” what is the pressure on Russia? “How do you get them to a place of getting to the table with Zelenskyy and stopping to drop bombs?” moderator Kristen Welker asked.

Mr. Trump had applied “aggressive economic leverage,” for example “secondary tariffs on India, to try to make it harder for the Russians to get rich from their oil economy,” Mr. Vance replied.

“He tried to make it clear that Russia can be reinvited into the world economy if they stop the killing. But they are going to continue to be isolated if they don’t stop the killing,” he said.

Earlier on April 22, Mr. Vance, while speaking in Jaipur, had urged India to drop non-tariff barriers, give greater access to its markets and buy more American energy and military hardware as he laid out a broader road map of deeper ties between the two nations for a “prosperous and peaceful” 21st century.

Ever since Mr. Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50%, including a 25% additional duties for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil, relations between New Delhi and Washington are on a downturn.

The U.S. has alleged that India’s purchases of Russian crude oil are funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine, a charge strongly rejected by India.

New Delhi turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Saturday (August 23, 2025), External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at an event in New Delhi, “It’s funny to have people who work for a pro-business American administration accusing other people of doing business.”

He was responding to a question on the U.S. criticism of India on the crude oil issue.

“That’s really curious. If you have a problem buying oil or refined products from India, don’t buy it. Nobody forces you to buy it. But Europe buys, America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it,” Mr. Jaishankar said.